Razor blade dispensing container



April 8, 1947. N. TEST! ,5

RAZOR BLADE DISPENSING CQNTAINER.

Filed Jan. 13, 1944 mun-mun IN VEN TOR.

Patented Apr. 8, 1947 RAZOR BLADE DISPENSING CONTAINER Nicholas Testi,Boston, Mass, assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass, acorporation of Delaware Application January 13, 1944, Serial No. 518,111

6 Claims.

This invention relates to blade-dispensing containers providing aconvenient form of packaging razor blades for distribution andfurnishing the user with a reserve supply of fresh blades completelyprotected against damage up to the time of use. a

The fine cutting edge of a safet razor blade is so delicate in itsstructure that it is easily damaged by any chance contact that may occurbefore actual use. It is desirable that the manufacturer, who is bestqualified to produce the fine edge of the blade, should also protect andpack the blades so that they may arrive safely in the users hands and bemaintained at his disposal until he is ready to proceed with the shavingoperation. At that time the user should be able safely to draw freshblades one by one from their container as required.

With these conditions in view an important feature of the presentinvention consists in an enclosure for containing a stack of blades ofany convenient number and having an outlet slot bounded by a fulcrumshoulder in one of its side walls. With this structure is combined meansmovable into engagement with the uppermost blade in the stack forseparating that single'blade from the stack and swinging it about thefulcrum shoulder into a position projecting outwardly through the saidoutlet where the user may conveniently grasp and remove the bladepreparatory to inserting it immediately in his razor.

Another feature of the invention consists in blade feeding means whichmay be moved by the user into engagement with a blade to be removed fromthe stack, and held in operative engagement therewith during the feedingmove ment of the blade; then being movable of its own accord to releasethe blade and permit it to be withdrawn by hand and without draggingover its sharpened edge.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view in perspective of the container showing a blade inposition for removal;

Fig. 2 is a view of the container in longitudinal section and on anenlarged scale; and

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the body of the container on the sameenlarged scale as Fig. 2.

The container is herein shown as adapted for use in connection with asingle-edged blade of the well-known Valet type, that is to say, a flatblade substantially rectangular in outline,

sharpened at one edge only and provided with perforations of the shapeof the letters of the word Valet. The blade has also a curved recess ineach of its end edges adjacent to its unsharp ened rear edge." Thecontainer herein shown is of such dimensions and shape as to accommodatethe "Valet blade but it is, of course, not limited in its applicationtothat or to any other particular type of blade but may be substantiallymodified in these respects,.all Within the scope of the presentinvention.

The container comprises. a body portion [0 substantially rectangular inoutline and having upstanding walls at its sides and ends which form anelongated enclosure of sufficient depth to contain, for example, ten ortwelve blades in stack formation. A transverse slot ll leads through oneend wall to the interior of the enclosure. The bottom of the containeris provided with a rectangular depression or well l3 bounded on eachside by a longitudinal rib and communicates directly with the slot H. Inthe well I3 is placed a curved leaf spring M which fits between theparallel ribs or shoulders defining the well and has the function ofalways pressing the stack of blades upwardly so that the uppermost bladeis maintained in contact with the cover of the container. The spring ismay be inserted directly into the. well l3 and moved endwise intoposition beneath the blade stack after the container has been filled andwhile the stack of blades is resting upon the shoulders in the bottom ofthe container.

Within the two front corners of the container are disposed pillarshaving inwardly directed vertical faces '2 disposed at an angle of 45 tothe axis of the container. These angular faces are arranged to engagethe two front corners of the blades in the stack and position each bladewith its rear unsharpened edge against one wall and its sharpened edgeout of contact with the other wall of the container. The rear Wall andone end wall of the container are cut away at their upper edges toprovide a blade exit slot 22 bounded at one end by a shoulder it whichserves as a fulcrum about which the uppermost blade in the stack may beswung as will be presently explained. The end wall of the containeradjacent the shoulder I6 is provided with a recess IE to affordclearance in which the corner of a blade may swing as the blade movesabout the shoulder I6 as a fulcrum.

A fiat cover I! is secured to the walls. of the container by screws inits opposite ends. The cover overhangs and forms the upper boundary alsoforms the pivot of a spring arm 19 having an upwardly inclined portionwith an operating a knob 20 therein. The arm has a downturned endnormally moving in the curved slot E8 of the cover and'is shapedtoengage an aperture in one of the blades, for example, the elongatedperforation forming the back of the E.

Normally the downturned end of the arm i9 moves above the uppermostblade 25 in thestackfbut the arm may be depressed easily by the userinto feeding engagement with that blade. However, even When the arm I9is depressed to the limit, its

downturned end can engage only the uppermost blade of the stack becauseit .isnot longenough to reach through the blade.

The container herein described may be constructed of metal or may bemoulded to plastic material. The blade stack may be accurately placedwithin the containerby the manufacturer andthen the cover i] -may besecured by screws 23 or by cement'or-in any other-desired manner. Theleaf spring i i-may then be slipped into place where it will remainwithout any danger'of displacement and will operate to hold the bladestack up against the cover if of the container as shownin Fig. 2.

-When the user desires to remove'a blade from the container he has onlyto depress the arm i9 against the cover I! and swing it toward the exitslot 22. --When so moved it' engages the uppermost'blade in the stackand swings it outwardly about the shoulder it a a fulcrum. In

'thismanner anuns'harpenedportion of the blade is presented in aconvenient-position tobe grasped 'byithe user, as shown inFig. 1. Sincethe feedcasing having a cover and an outlet in one side beneath thecover, means within the casing for locating a stack of blades insuperposed relation with their edges substantially out of contact withthe casing, a shoulder providing a fulcrum adjacent to the blade stack,and means mounted on the cover for swinging a blade from its position inthe stack about said fulcrum and out through the outlet of the casing.

3. A blade dispenser comprising an elongated casing having an aperturedcover and an outlet in'one of its'sidesrneans within the casing forlocatinga stack of superposed perforated blades I therein and forpreventing endwise movement 'ingarm' 139 immediately releases the bladewhen it itself released from downward pressure, the

user isfree-to draw the projecting blade out of the container andpresent it to his razor. As soon as the blade'is completely withdrawnthe (spring 14 operates-to elevate'the-remaining blades {25 infthe stacksothat the'withdrawn blade is y immediately replaced by another which isheld in contact'with the cover H. The whole stack of sharpfreshjbladesmay be in this way withdrawn one'by one from the container and thelatter may be thenthrown awayby the user and replaced by the new fullcontainer.-

"Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail anillustrative embodiment there- "of, I claim as new and desire {to'secureby Let- 'tersPatent:

'1. {A blade container including walls forming an elongated enclosurehaving an outlet slot boundedby a fulcrum'shoulderin one of its-sidewalls, means for ;l o cating'a stack of blades in superposed relationwithin the enclosure, and means vmovable into engagement with theuppermost blade thestacl; for swinging that single blade Tabout saidfulcrum shoulder and into an ular position projecting outwardly throughsaid outlet slot. w

12. A'blade-container comprising an elongated thereof and a spring dogmovable downwardly ing automatically to clear the sharp edge of theblade as the blade is drawn by hand through said outlet.

t. A blade dispenser-comprising a rectangular casing having an aperturedcover and an outlet slot in-one of its sidewalls, means for aligninga'stack of single-edge bladesby their front corners in the casing, and aspring dog mounted on a pivot on said cover whereby it may be depressedthrough an aperture in the coverinto engagement with the uppermost bladeof the stack and then swung about its pivot to move a rear corner of theblade outwardly through said outlet slot.

-5. A blade dispensing container comprising an elongated enclosure for astack of perforated blades, said container having a flat cover and asideoutlet slot beneath the cover, the cover having an arc-shaped slotdirected toward said outlet :slot, and .a pivoted spring feeding devicemounted on the cover and having a portion ex.-

rtending-downwardly into the slot of the cover and movable, whendepressed by the user, to en- "substantially rectangular easing having afiat cover and .a side outlet slot for blades beneath the cover, thecover having a transverse curved slot therein, and a sprin arm pivotallymounted to swing in said curved slot, having a downturned blade-engagingend and being itself normallyarrange to stand above the surface of thecover.

NICHOLAS TESTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,092,067 Marx Mar, 31, 19141,791,586 Todd Feb. 10, 1931 622,807 Joy Apr. 11, 1899 665,385

Edson Jan. 1,1901

